住民主体による地区活動発展のための課題

本研究は、A町B地区における住民主体による地区活動発展のための今後の課題を明らかにすることを目的とした。B地区福祉ネットワークメンバーを対象とし、地区活動の現状、今後の課題、関係機関の役割について、グループインタビューを行った。その結果、 自主的な活動継続のために、 自主財源確保、組織の柔軟な対応が必要、協力員確保のために、勧誘方法、活動内容・役割の検討が必要、利用者増加のために、楽しい会の実施、正確な情報提供、継続的な勧誘が必要、活動のマンネリ化解消・体制検討のために、利用者ヘアンケート調査が必要、協力員・ボランティアの心構えとして、リーダーシップ訓練等の研修が必要であることが課題として明らかになった

Usefulness of an Automatic Quantitative Method for Measuring Regional Cerebral Blood Flow Using 99mTc Ethyl Cysteinate Dimer Brain Uptake Ratio

Objective(s): Improved brain uptake ratio (IBUR), employing 99mTc-ethyl cysteinate dimer (99mTc-ECD), is an automatic non-invasive method for quantitatively measuring regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF). This method was developed by the reconstruction of the theory and linear regression equation, based on rCBF measurement by H215O positron emission tomography. Clarification of differences in rCBF values obtained by Patlak plot (PP) and IBUR method is important for clinical diagnosis during the transition period between these methods. Our purpose in this study was to demonstrate the relationship between rCBF values obtained by IBUR and PP methods and to evaluate the clinical applicability of IBUR method. Methods: The mean CBF (mCBF) and rCBF values in 15 patients were obtained using the IBUR method and compared with PP method values. Results: Overall, mCBF and rCBF values, obtained using these independent techniques, were found to be correlated (r=0.68). The mCBF values obtained by the IBUR method ranged from 18.9 to 44.9 ml/100g/min, whereas those obtained by the PP method ranged from 34.7 to 48.1 ml/100g/min. The rCBF values obtained by the IBUR method ranged from 16.3 to 60.2 ml/100g/min, whereas those obtained by the PP method were within the range of 26.7-58.8 ml/100g/min. Conclusion: The ranges of mCBF and rCBF values, obtained by the IBUR method, were approximately 60% lower than those obtained by the PP method; therefore, this method can be useful for diagnosing lower flow area. Re-analysis of prior PP data, using the IBUR method, could be potentially useful for the clinical follow-up of rCBF

A Two-Year Randomized Trial of Interventions to Decrease Stress Hormone Vasopressin Production in Patients with Meniere's Disease-A Pilot Study.

Meniere's disease, a common inner ear condition, has an incidence of 15-50 per 100,000. Because mental/physical stress and subsequent increase in the stress hormone vasopressin supposedly trigger Meniere's disease, we set a pilot study to seek new therapeutic interventions, namely management of vasopressin secretion, to treat this disease. We enrolled 297 definite Meniere's patients from 2010 to 2012 in a randomized-controlled and open-label trial, assigning Group-I (control) traditional oral medication, Group-II abundant water intake, Group-III tympanic ventilation tubes and Group-IV sleeping in darkness. Two hundred sixty-three patients completed the planned 2-year-follow-up, which included assessment of vertigo, hearing, plasma vasopressin concentrations and changes in stress/psychological factors. At 2 years, vertigo was completely controlled in 54.3% of patients in Group-I, 81.4% in Group-II, 84.1% in Group-III, and 80.0% in Group-IV (statistically I < II = III = IV). Hearing was improved in 7.1% of patients in Group-I, 35.7% in Group-II, 34.9% in Group-III, and 31.7% in Group-IV (statistically I < II = III = IV). Plasma vasopressin concentrations decreased more in Groups-II, -III, and -IV than in Groups-I (statistically I < II = III = IV), although patients' stress/psychological factors had not changed. Physicians have focused on stress management for Meniere's disease. However, avoidance of stress is unrealistic for patients who live in demanding social environments. Our findings in this pilot study suggest that interventions to decrease vasopressin secretion by abundant water intake, tympanic ventilation tubes and sleeping in darkness is feasible in treating Meniere's disease, even though these therapies did not alter reported mental/physical stress levels.ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01099046

The phosphorylation of sorting nexin 5 at serine 226 regulates retrograde transport and macropinocytosis.

Sorting nexin 5 (SNX5), a member of sorting nexin family, plays an important role in membrane trafficking, including the retrograde trafficking of the cation independent mannose 6-phosphate receptor (CI-M6PR) and macropinocytosis. Using ESI-LCMS/MS analysis, we confirmed that SNX5 serine 226 is phosphorylated. Since SNX5 forms heterodimers with SNX1 or SNX2, we examined the effect of phosphorylation at S226 on the heterodimer formations. Wild-type and mutants of SNX5, in which S226 was mutated to a glutamic acid or an alanine, were expressed in 8505C cells. In pull-down assays using SNX5 as bait, only the S226E mutant failed to precipitate both SNX1 and SNX2. Confocal microscopy data indicated that the wild type and S226A mutant were colocalized with SNX1 and SNX2 in endosomes, but the S226E was not. SNX5 and SNX6 support each other's functions and are involved with CI-M6PR retrograde trafficking. In SNX5 and SNX6 double knockdown cells, CI-M6PR was dispersed and colocalized with the endosomal marker EEA1. In a rescue experiment using SNX5 mutants, the S226A rescued CI-M6PR localization, similar to control cells, but S226E did not. Furthermore, the decrease in the uptake of dextran by macropinocytosis in SNX5 knockdown cells was recovered by the expression of rescue-wild type or S226A mutant, but not by the rescue-S226E mutant. These observations indicate that SNX5 constitutive phosphorylation that mimics the mutant S226E decreases the active SNX5 in these cells. The phosphorylation of SNX5 regulates the dimerization with SNX1 or SNX2, and this suggests that it controls membrane trafficking and protein sorting

Two-year follow-up hearing in patients with definite Meniere's disease.

<p>Ratios of the number of cases with “better hearing”, “no change of hearing” and “worse hearing”18–24 months after treatment are shown in each group. “Better”, ≥10 dB difference between pre- and post-treatment hearing levels; “worse”, ≤−10 dB difference; “no change”, other. *: statistically significant. Percentages mean ratios of the number of these patients.</p

Vertigo attacks in patients with definite Meniere's disease 18–24 months into study.

<p>Ratios of the number of cases with “no vertigo” and “others”18–24 months after treatment are shown in each group. “No vertigo” means an absence of vertigo attacks from 18–24 months; “others” means better, worse and no change (as defined in Patients and Methods) during the same period. *: statistically significant. Percentages mean ratios of the number of these patients.</p